How People Earn Money on Media And Social Networks Essay Example

I've always wondered how people make money simply from making videos on YouTube or posting pictures on Instagram. It always seems so easy and a lot of people do it. I knew there was some luck involved, but I never realized how much time and effort it takes to get a following, and make content people want to see, until I talked to my aunt. She has her own blog and has dealt with all the struggles that many people face when doing social media for income. Most people won't become famous and start making thousands of dollars overnight, there's a lot of time, patience, and motivation involved.

After a long day of going out and exploring new and different places in Helsinki, Finland, my 28-year-old aunt goes back to her parent's house, where she lives, and starts working on a new post for her blog: "Helsinki Side Quest." No one who meets my aunt would think someone like her would be trying to become a famous blogger. Why? My aunt not only lives at home because that's where she feels most comfortable, but she also has no job because of her inability to work with other people due to her crippling anxiety. Even with her mental health issues, being a well-known blogger is something she's been trying to accomplish since December of last year. After almost a year of blogging, Linda has learned a lot about not only blogging, but also about how hard it is getting noticed on any social media platform.

Sitting on my bedroom floor on a Saturday afternoon, I wait while my aunt comes up with an answer to me asking her how time consuming blogging is. The room is quiet, and I listen to my sisters' screams coming from the living room, it takes a few moments for my aunt to think of what to say. While she is processing the question, she plays with her hair, something she does when she's nervous. "Specifically posting reviews about things you actually go out and do, that you actually have to take the time to travel to and experience and come back and do it every week, that's the biggest part of that kind of blogging, the actual writing doesn't take that long." After she sees that her answer seems to please me, she becomes a little more relaxed and I try to assure her that she's doing a great job. She explains the amount of time it takes depends on what your blog is about, and how many times you plan on posting every week.

Getting a big following on any social media website isn't easy, it takes a lot of hard work. Being consistent is an important part of getting more followers. People are more likely to follow someone if they are consistent and are "providing a steady stream of content" (DeMers). Someone who isn't consistent and only posts once every few days or weeks won't get as many followers as someone who posts regularly. Making unique, popular content that you are passionate about, is an important part of increasing social media followers. If one type of post is getting more attention than another, that's because it's what people are drawn to. Looking at your analytics is a good way to see which posts are getting the most attention. Another way to increase followers is by interacting with them. "People like to feel like they matter" (DeMers) and they are more likely to comment and like people's posts if they know the person will respond to them or notice them. People want to follow someone who shows that they care about their followers, rather than someone who doesn't show that they care at all. Posting at the right time is also an important thing to consider when trying to boost your social media following. Posting at a time where most of your followers are active is important because that's the time where you get the most likes and interactions.An important thing to remember when trying to create a bigger following is it takes time to get followers. There's a good chance you won't become a well-known social media influencer overnight, so being patient is key.

Sitting down with her dad looking at how much money there's left to pay off her student loans upset my aunt immensely. She couldn't rely on her parents to pay for everything she needed for the rest of their lives. After living on her own for a while, Linda decided she wasn't ready to live on her own and had moved back in with her parents. Her and my grandpa had a serious conversation as to how she was going to be able to provide for herself, both of them knowing he and my grandma's time was coming to an end. "There's no way I can ever have a real job, I'm not good working with other people and I would have so many anxiety attacks," my aunt said. My grandpa looked at her with his soft blue eyes, "You're an artist Linda, you know how to do more than just paint, maybe you could start your own business or website or something." Her and my grandpa sat and brainstormed for hours until my aunt came up with the idea to create her own blog. She had always wanted to let people know all the cool stuff Helsinki had to offer and now would be a good time to start, and maybe get a little money out of it too.

Later in the interview with my aunt, I asked her how long she thinks it takes for people to start getting money from blogging. From what she's read and what she has experienced, she told me that " it's going to take at least a half a year to start making money." She explains to me that some bloggers she knows of have started getting money only a few months after starting their blog from affiliate sales. During this part of the interview, her voice started shaking and I realized she was getting more nervous every minute the interview went on. "I think most of the time if bloggers are getting a lot of affiliate sales… really quickly they might already have a large personal following." She goes on to tell me that she suggests all new bloggers have another steady source of income because you don't know how long it will take to make money, and you don't know how much you will make.

There are social media influencers all over the world making thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars by posting pictures promoting a brand or product, sounds crazy right?Social media influencers can get money from social media from a number of different ways including ads, sponsorships, and affiliate sales. People with their own websites or blogs can make money by "selling advertising space to advertisers, who, if they like the website, they will use it to advertise their products." (digitaledge) It sounds simple, but you must have, not only quality content, but also enough monthly visitors for advertisers to believe that it is worth putting their ads on your webpage. Pay-per-click ads are ads that allow you to get some money each time the ad is clicked on. This isn't the best way to make money, because not many people will click on an ad unless it's something they are interested in. It helps if the ads are related to what the website or blog is about because people will be more likely to click on them. CPM is a more popular advertising method where you will earn money for every 1,000 views. This method focuses on views rather than clicks. Affiliate marketing relies on promoting products. With affiliate marketing, "your site is responsible for generating traffic and sales for the merchant and you will receive payment depending on the sales made." (digitaledge) Making sure that the amount of monthly visitors to your website is stable and the product you are promoting is relevant to what your site or blog is about is important. Having a decent sized following and content that people are interested in will increase your chances of making money on social media.

My aunt has done an amazing job on her blog and has been very persistent at trying to make it as perfect as possible. Linda struggles with her anxiety every day, but blogging gives her a chance to connect with people without having to talk to them in person. She loves expressing her creativity, while also informing people about everything Helsinki has to offer. Ever since she started her blog in December of last year, she's learned a lot about how blogging works and how much goes into running a successful one. She still has a long way to go before she becomes well-known but she hopes one day she will. Until that day comes, my aunt will continue to do what she loves and she hopes to learn even more about blogging and she hopes that one day, her dream of being a well-known blogger will become reality.